Wringer



Dec. 3l, 1940. T. w. BEHAN 2,227,119

' Y WRINGER Filed Feb. 16, 1952 l0 Sheets-Sheet l 7M w04@ @513, 11, @MOM/w13 T. W. BEHAN Dec. 3l, 1940.

WRINGER Filed Feb. 16, 1932 l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 T. W. BEHAN Dec. 31, 1940.

WR INGER Filed Feb. 16. 1932 10 Sheets-Sheet 3 T. W. BEHAN Dec. 3l, 1940.

WR INGER Filed Feb. 16, 1932 l0 Sheets-Sheet 4 T. w. lar-:HAN

Dec. 3l, 1940.

WRINGER Filed Feb. 16, 1932 10 Sheets-Sheet' .Jmflllllii iA v l i ir!- lnllllllilllllllllllllfll T. W. BEHAN Dec. 31, 1940.

WRINGER Filed Feb. 16, 1932 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 T. w. BEHN WRINGER Dec., 3l, 1940.

10 Sheets-Sheet I7 Filed Feb. 16, 1932 "my funn-... 'Y u i' 1,

bamtoz 74@ @f5/a wm w T. W. BEHAN Dec. 3l, 1940.

WRINGER 10 sheets-sheet a Fild Feb. 16, 1932 NNN INVENTOR- mmw N @N mwN ww M.. @N

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T. W. BEH'AN WRINGER Filed Feb. 16, 1932 l0 Sheets-Sheet 9 "ATTORNEY- T. W. BEHAN 2,227,119

WRINGER Filed Feb. 1e, 1952 1o sheets-sheet 1o I am 'TA TT" A INVENTOR- ATTORNEY- its rolls. At the same time the .construction 10 contemplated may be power-operated not only Patented Dec. 31, 1940 Thomas W. Behan, Binghamton, N. Y., assigner to Nineteen Hundred Corporation, Binghamton,

WRINGER N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 1c, '1932, seriaiNo. 593,280

31 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in clothes wringers and particularly to the poweroperated type such as may be applied to electrically driven washing machines.

An important object of the invention has been to produce a wringer which is safe in its operation, being substantially free from any danger of drawing the ngers of the operator Ibetween for the purpose of driving the rolls in a wringing operation but also for the purpose of bringing the rollers together under pressure and for releasing them from such pressure.

A further object of the invention has been to l produce a wringer unit which is low in construction and presents a more pleasing appearance, in conjunction with a washing machine, than Wringers heretofore employed. In the accomplishment of these and other objects, the improved Wringer is adapted to operate eiectively and efficiently yand may be of relatively inexpensive construction.

direction, which is such that 4the clothes willbe discharged from the upper side. ,The lower portion of the Wringer is so enclosed and guarded that no access 'is provided for anything solid of unusual thickness.

This makes it impossible to have the hand caught between the rollers since the latter tend to force the han-d away at the top and the hand cannot reach in t ythe bight of the rollers from below. Positioning of the pair of rollers with their axes in substantially the same horizontal planchas made `it more difllcult to introduce the clothes between the rollers but this dmculty has been overcome by the* provision of special feeding devices.

Novel means 's have also been provided for bringing the rollers together under a variable pressure.'

Other objects and features of the invention will appear from a detailed description of eral illustrative forms of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan Vview of a Wringer embodying features of the present invention, a cover plate being removed to show certain of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and -FFME partly in vertical section along the line 2 2 o Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view oi'- the wringerwith a portion of the casing broken away to disclose the mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a. vertical. sectional View taken along the line 3 4 of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is a. detail View in section along the line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical, sectional view along the line 6 6 of Figure 1,

arated;

but with the rollers sep- Fig. 7 is a detail view in section along the line 7--1 of Figure 2;

Fig. 8 is a detail view in horizontal section along the line 8 8 of Figure 7; l

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail, sectional views along the lines 9 9 and lil-I0, respectively, Ushowing the roller tensioning devices;

the line H ll of Figure 1;

Fig. 12 is a detail view of a portion of the Fig. 11 is a detail view in vertical'section along mechanism for bringing the rollers together under pressure;

Fig. 13 is a detail view in vertical section, along the line |3 l3 of Figure 14, of certain clothes feeding devices that may be employed;

Fig. 14 is a detail View in plan of one end of the rollers, showing the feeding devices below;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Figure 13, along the line |5 I5 of Figure 16, showing a modied clothes feeding mechanism; v

Fig. 16 is a plan view/of one end of the construction shown in Figure 15;

Fig. 17, is a. detail View in vertical section showing a further modification of the clothes feeding mechanism;

the irregularv line 20-20 of Figure 19;

lliig` 21 is a detail view in plan of the driving mechanism for the rolls of the modied construction;

Fig. 22 is a detail view in vertical section along the line 22 22 oi Figure 19 showing the roller er construction.;

A tension controlling devices of the modified wring- Fig. 23 is a detail view in side elevation of the roller .control clutches, with the parts in idle position Fig. 24 is a sectional view alon of Figure 23, and

g the line 24-24 Fig. 25 is a transverse, sectional view through the modified wringer, along the lines 25-25 of Figure 19, showing the tiltable'drain.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 12 of the drawings, a wringer embodying the features of the present invention is shown as provided with a frame and enclosing casing l@ having secured thereto, or integral therewith, a gear housing l I terminating at its lower end in suitable means for attaching the wringer to a washing machine in any appropriate, conventional way. Housing II is provided with flange i2. A shaft I3 extending into the gear housing is adapted to be connected in a well known manner with a vertically disposed shaft at the side of a. power driven washing machine for the purpose of driving the moving parts of the wringer. At the upper end of the shaft I3 'there may be `provided a bevel pinion I4 meshing with a bevel gear I5 secured to a shaft I t. This shaft, adjacent its opposite end, carries a clutch member I1 which is keyed or splined to the shaft so as to rotate therewith and at the same time is shiftable longitudinally thereof. Projections I8 at the end of the clutch member I1 are adapted to enter a recess I9 in a pinion 20 secured to a shaft 2l. This shaft extends substantially the full length of the wringen and serves to support a roller 22, preferably formed of rubber, or similar material, and serving as one of a pair of wrlnger rolls. The companion roller 23 is carried by a shaft 24 which likewise extends substantially the full length of the wringer and is supported with its axis in substantially the same horizontal plane4 as the axis of the shaft 2|. A pinion 25 secured to the shaft 24 is adapted to mesh with the pinion 20 and thus causes the two rollers to rotate in unison.

For the purpose of shifting the clutch member I1 to couple the pinion 28 to the shaft I6, or to disconnect these parts as desired, there is provided anl element 26 pivoted at 21 ona suitable portion of the frame. Thiselement is forked in rear of the pivot 21, Ias viewed in Figure 1, and carries a pin or roller 28 o n each branch of the fork adapted to engage in a groove 29 formed around the periphery of the member I1. A spring 38 coiled around the pivot pin 21 normally tends to rock the element 26 in a clockwisehdirection (Fig. 1) to engage the clutch by carrying the pivotal movement. It is pivotally connected at' one end to a lever 34 which in turn is pivotally supported at its upper end by a pivot pin 35.. At its opposite end the member 33 is enlarged to provide an eccentric strap 36 adapted to surround an eccentric '31 carried by or formed integral with al drum 38 freely supported bythe shaft |16.

Suitable means are provided for temporarily connecting the drum 38 with the shaft I6 at will for imparting a partial rotation to the drum. It will be apparent that upon each revolution of the drum 38 the member 33 will be lreciprocated due to the action of the eccentric 31. The driving connection between the drum 38 and the shaft I6 is such that these parts may be coupled under manual control for a half revolution and will then be automatically disconnected until the clutch is again made effective by a further manual operadog 43.

tion. For this purpose the drum 38 is provided with a recess 39 in one face adapted to receive a driving element 40 which is keyed or splined to the shaft I6. This driving element is formed with a series of recesses 4I having square shoulders adapted to cooperate with the en'd 42 of a dog 43 pivotally mounted at 44 upon the drum 38. A spring pressed plunger 45 is adapted to rock the dog d3 clockwise (Fig. 7) to engage the end 42 in one of the notches 4I. Rocking of the dog is prevented, however, by the engagement of a projection 46 with the outer surface of the dog. In the operation of the wringer the shaft I6 and element 40 will be constantly driven and when it is desired to produce a rotation of the rolls 22 and 23, through the connections previously mentioned, the drum 38 is coupled to the element 40 for a half revolution so as to cause the element 33 to be shifted from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Figure 3. serve to carry the camming lug 32 into the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the spring 3@ will shift the clutching element I1 to couple thepinion 28 with the shaft I6. As will be presently explained, the shifting of the projection 46 to permit rocking of the dog 43, and thus bringing about a half revolution of the drum 38, is under manual control.' For this purpose theA projection 46 is carried by ,a rocking member 41 pivotally supported at 41| by a portion of the frame. 'I'he member 41 is in the form of a bell crank, one arm of which is engaged by a spring 48 to normally urge the projection .46 into the path of the dog 43. A plunger 49, however, carrying a knob or button 50 at its upper end is adapted to be depressed against the action of a spring 5I and 4 serves to rock the member 41 to carry the projection 46 isl moved out of the path of the dog 43 the end 42 is adjacent a high point of the clutch element 40, so that the plunger 45 is unable to rock the dog and should the button 50 be released instantaneously, the projection 46 would return to its 'normal position and possibly prevent rocking of the dog, thus preventing its engagement with ,the element 40, if no additional means were provided. However, to avoid this possibility, a separate element 52' is pivotally supported on the pin 44 adjacent the dog 43. This element is provided with a tail 53 normally adapted to engage the under surface of the projection 46. However, when the latter is withdrawn upon ldepression of the button 50, the element 52 is rocked by a spring 54, mounted Withina socket in the dog, which engages alpin 55 secured to theelement and is permitted a limited movement by a slot in the Thus, even though the dog 43 is prevented from rocking at the moment of depression of the button 50, the element 52 may be rocked to carry its tail 53 across the face oi' the projection 46 and' thus preventthe return of the latter into the path of the dog even though the button is immediately released. By having the spring plunger cooperate with a portion of the element 52, as

shown, inlieu of directly engaging the dog, the spring 54 may be eliminated if desired..

When the end 42 of the dog is engaged in the manner explained, the drum 38 will be rotated with the shaft I6 until the dog 43 engages a.

projection 5'6 similar to the projection 46 carried This Will,

I face of the dog will serve to rock' the latter about rolls from the driving power, it is simply neces- Cooperation of the projection with the outer surits pivot 44 and will carry it out of engagement with the notch 4| so as to uncouple the drum 36.

The half revolution of the drum prior to 'such uncoupling will produce the shifting-of the member 33 and lever 34 from the position of Fig. 6

to that of Fig. 3.

Should it now be desired to disconnect the sary to again depress the button or knob 56;

'I'his will again serve to roclr the member 41 and will withdraw the projection 56 from cooperation with the dogv 43 and element 52. The dog will then connectthe drum 36 with the rotating element and will carry the eccentric through ya half revolution luntil the dog and the element 52 are again engaged by the projection 46 to uncouple the drum. from the shaft I6. This operation of the drum will shift the pitman inember 33 to the right (Fig, 6), thereby releasing the pressure between the rollers..and causing the cam lug 32 to uncouple the pinion 20 from the shaft I6.

The roller 22 is preferably supported at its opposite ends by ball or roller bearing units 51 and 56. These may be more or less vi'lxedly mounted in the frame in any suitable way. In order to enable the ready assembly and repair of the parts, some suitable form of readily detachable connection is most conveniently provided between lthe bearing units and the frame. The relationis preferably. such, however. that when Y thebearing units areapplied, they are held stationaryonthe frame. The roller 23 may similarly be supported at its opposite ends by ball or roller bearing' units 59 and 60. These units, however, are not lxedly4 mounted on the frame but are adapted to move relatively to the 4frame to permit a yielding pressure to be established and released between the rollers. For this'purpose the unit 59 is carried by a slide 6| which may be suitably guided and supported by plates or guideways 62 and 63 attached to a portion of the frame. Similarly the bearing unit 60 'is carried by-a slide 64 retained and guided between elements 65 and 66 secured to the frame. The arrangement and mounting of the slides `or blocks 6| and 64 is such that the shaft 24v and roller 23 may be shifted' in a horizontal plane toward and away from the roller 22. Slide 64 has pivotally connected at 61 a lever. 66 which is pivotally mounted upon the-frame at 69. This lever corresponds with the lever 34 to which the plate 6| is pivotally connected at 35, but its pivotis fixed in lieu of being shiftable, as is' the intermediate pivot of lever 34. A spring 16, ex-

i tween downwardly extending portions 12 and 13 of the levers 34 and 66, respectively. The spring bar 1| (as best shown in-Figs.9 and 10-) v carries a pivot lug' 14 provided with inclined surfaces 'adaptedto cooperate with correspondingly inclined surfaces on a pair-of blocks 15 and 16. These blocksare carried by a screw 11 which is adapted to be turned through a universal connection with a shaft 18 provided at its outer` end with a vhandle 19. This handle may suitably extend to a point beyond the frame of the 'wringer so that it may be turned to adjust the relative positions of the blocks 15 and 16. The

.bar 1| and the cooperating parts are'conveniently supported and retained in position by a portion ofthe frame beneath the rollers. It will be apparentl that as the blocks are drawn more closely together, the pivot lug 14 will be held furtherut along the inclined faces of the blocks and a more direct and rigid connection will be provided between the levers 34 and 66. Now it will be apparent that as the lever 34 is drawn toward the left in Fig. 6 by the pitman 33, the end 12 Will press against the end of thespring bar 1| and will cause the opposite end of the spring bar to produce a substantially equal force in the opposite direction upon the end 13 of lever 68. Since the pitman 33 is connected to the lever 34 at substantially the midpoint of the latter, the lever will first-pivot about its point of contact with the bar 1| while the upper end ofthe lever Will shift the slide 6| to carry the corresponding end of the roller 23 against the roller 22. The' lower end of`lever 34 will then press more forcibly against the bar 1|,.i. e. with a lforce equal to that applied tothe slide 6|, and

will transmit this to the lower end of lever 68, thereby causing the slide 64 andthe corresponding end of roller 23 to be shifted toward'roller 22. As the movement of the pitman 33 continues, the pressure applied at the two ends of the roller 23 by the slides 6| and 64 will be substantially equalized by' the inter-connections pointed out. It will also be apparent that as the blocks 15 and 16 are drawn together by operation of the handle 19, the tension applied to the rollers may be increased or by an opposite adjustment the tension may be decreased.

From theforegolng it will be clear that operation of the knob will. not only control thedriving connection between the rollers and the shaft I6 but wm nso controI the appiication andl removal of pressure between the rollers. The arrangement is .such that as\ the clutch I1 is shifted`to eie'ct a driving connection 'between Simito disconnect the rollers from the driving mechanism, the tension between the rollers will be released. The direction of rotation of the rollers will always be thesameand will be such as to. carry the clothesupwardly between the rollers. i. e.; as viewed in Fig.-4'roll er 22 will be rotated counterclockwise and roller 23 `clockwise.

Beneath the. rollers there is exibly mounted a clothesgulde and supporting member 66, preferably. formed of sheet metal. This guide member may be suitably supported at its four corners by lstuds '6| carried by plates 62 slidably mounted upon adjacent portions of the main frame.I The plates-62 may be drawn upwardly by springs 63 attached at their upper ends to ears 64 formed on a. portion ofthe frame. The studs 6| may suitably be provided with grooves cooperating with bayonet slots formed in the main frame.v This will enable the plates 62 to be readily mounted uponand detached from the main frame. The clothes guide 66 may convenientlybe formed with hooked extensions at the four corners to engage the studs 8|-in the manner best shown in Figure 4. This,- it will be the shaft `I6 and the rollers, tension will simul- Ataneously be set up between `the rollers. larly, upon' a subsequent operation of the knob BIS.

apparent, will form a resilient support and will tend to yieldingly draw the clothes guide into engagement with the under surface of the roll- As clothes are fed between the guide 80 and either of the rollers, the guide will simply be depressed on one side, tensioning the springs 83 and permitting thelfree passage of lthe clothes.

The shape of the guide is` such that Vit 'will serve to lead the clothes into the bight of the rollers.

Any water which is Wrung from the clothes will 81 pivotally supported by rods V08. These rods' preferably extend from one end of the frame to the other and serve as convenient tie'rods while .at the same time they permit the clothes lguides 81 .to 'be pivotally supported in the manner shown. The guides 81 may be swung upwardly about their pivots whenever it is desired to have access to the rollers. v

A typical operation of the wringer -jiust vdescribed may be briey outlined as follows: Let it be assumed that the shaft llli is being driven by the power means of a washing machine but the clutch member |1 is ineffective. The eccentric 31 will then be in the position shown in Figure 6 and the pressure between the wrollers will be released. Should it be desired to putqthe wring-v er into operation the knob 50 is simply depressed. 'I'his will -cause the projection. to' be withdrawn from engagement with the dog 43 'and willserve to'connect the drum 38 with the shaft |6.- The drum will be rotated through va half v 'revolution and will then be un'coupled from theA shaft I6 by engagement of the dog 43 with the projection 56. During this half revolution of the eccentric 31 it will draw the pitmari 33 toward the left (Figure 6) and thus force the roller 23 yieldingly against the roller 22.' At thefsame time the cam lug 32 will be withdrawn from the -portion 3| of the element 26 andthe spring 30,'- will shift the member |1 to couple the pinion '20 to shaft lli.l Rotation of the rollers undervtension will continue until the knob 50 is` again depressed, This will again releasethe drum 38 for a half revolution during which the eccentric 31 will shift the pitman 33 back to the right. Lug 32 willact to uncouple pinion 20 from shaft I6 at-the Sametime that the tension betweenv the rollers is released.

A modified construction of' the clothes. guide.

beneath the rollers is lillustrated in Figs. 13 and 14. As here shown the -guide may suitablycomprise a sheet 90 of metal, or otherexible material, extending longitudinally beneath the rollers -and provided with an apex.9| directly be- ,neath the bight of the rollers. At -each end of the rollers there may be secured to the-sheet 90 a plate member 92,- at oneside of the median line, and a corresponding member 93 at the opposite side ofthe median line. v'Ihe two inem-v bers 92-and 93 at one end oi` the guide are joinedat substantially the apex 9| by means of. a screw'` 94. Each4 of the members 92 and 93 is provided If desired a'tiltable deflector might be` into the position shown-in Fig. 13 with the apex 9| of the guide well up in the space between the rollers. It'will be apparent that as the roller carrying the lstar wheel, 99 is rotated, the arm- 91 will be rocked downwardly a number of times during each revolution. This will cause the apex 9| ofthe guide tobe'reciprocated vbeneath the bight of the rollers with the, result that any clothes fed along the surface of the guide -will be fed into the bight of. the rollers. A positive feeding action 'isthus established and the tendency of slippage between the rollers -and the clothes is substantiallyeliminated. It ,wi1l be apparent that the mechanism just described including the star wheel 99, arm 91, etc. may be duplicated at the two ends of the rollers to insure a uniform action. l

Referring now to Figs. v15 and 1s, a slighuy' modiiled construction for the same purpose, is

shown. 4This may consist of a pair of clothes guides |03 and |04 pivotally 'carried by rods |05 and |06 extending longitudinally ofthe rollers at opposite sides of the wringer .and extending ltowardthe median line vbetween the rollers. A.

rod |01 directly in the plane of the median line,

vmay be supported between the guides by arms |08. This vrod .may suitably carry a bar |09 which extends vertically into.the space between the rollers. A series of springs H0 suitably con- -nected to the guides |03 and |04 andto the rod '|01, and at theiropposite ends to a suitable portion of the frame,may normally'tend to hold the parts in the position shown in'Fig. l5 with the guides in contact with the rollers. A projection on each of the arms |09 cooperating with a star wheel-.H2 secured to the'spindle ofv one of the rollers mayaserve to yvibrate or recip` rocate the bar |09 a number of times-upon each s revolution-of the rollers.` This reciprocation of the bar |09 will positively feed theclothes into the bight of the rollers just as the. form of mechanism illustrated in Fig. 13. AsA ,will be clear the springs |I0 will permit the guides-|03 vand "50 I |04-to be yieldingly depressed so as to allow the 'passage of the clothes. v

A still further modification of the lower clothes providing .the reciprocating constructions just explained, the clothes guide ||3,v which may be gensurface o'f the guide.

and will force them to cling to the surface of the guides is shown in Figs. 17 and- 18. lIn lieuof erally similar to the guide 80 of Fig. 4, may be provided at spaced intervals with small rollers H4. These may suitably be carried by rods sup- .ported by ea-rs H5 bent downwardly from the These small rollersI will'. lgripthe clothes as they are fed onto the the guidev y cooperating wringing roller. If desired the feed is shown a modified construction -whichoperates in general in substantially the same way as the construction shownv in Figs. 1 to 12J inclusive. There is provided a main frame ||6 suitably enclosed. Averticallydisposed shaft ||1 is adapted to be connected in the. usual Way to the vertical drive shaft of any conventional form of washing agrario machine. This shaft carries at itspupper end a pinion ||8 meshing with a gear ||9 pinned -or otherwise secured to a shaft |20. .A clutch element |2| is slidably mounted on the shaft |20 but isl splined thereto so as to rotate with the shaft. Projections |22 carried by the element |2| are adapted to be engagedin grooves or notches in the hub of a gear |23. When the projections are so engaged the gear |23 will be driven by the mol tor or other operating device associated with the washing machine. A spring |24 surrounding the shaftl |20 serves to urge the clutch element |2| into effective position. When the gear |23 is rotated it serves to also rotate a gear |25 with which it meshes. 'I'his gear in turn meshes with a gear |26. 'Ihe gear |25 is secured to a sleeve |21 which carries one of the rollers |28. Similarly the gear |26 is secured to a sleeveY which carries the other wringer roller |29 of the pair. Whenever the clutch element |2| is effective, While the machine is in operation the two rollers will be rotated in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 22.

- Suitable means are provided for creating a desired pressure between the rollers. For this purpose the modied construction employs a series of coil springs |30, two of which are associated' with u each end of the roller |29. The two springs at each end of the wringer bear against upwardly turned feet formed on a yoke member |3| secured 30 in any suitable way to a shaft |32, which may conveniently pass through the supporting sleeve for the roller |29. 'I'he outer ends of the springs |30 cooperate with washers 'which are'held by nuts |33 on the ends of rods |34 passing through .35 the springs. These rods may suitably be provided with bolt heads adapted to'cooperate with a yoke member |35 of channel form. Within the channel of this yoke member there is provided an eclcentric |36 which is of a. diameter equal to the distance between the sides of the channel and is secured to a shaft |31 which conveniently passes through the sleeve |21. It will be understood that the spring construction thus far explained is duplicated at the two ends of the wringer rollers. By the provision of eccentrics |35 adjacent the two ends of the shaft |31, the springs |30 at the two ends of the wringer may be subjected to tension and relieved from tension in unison. Variation in the force supplied by the springs to the rollers may be effected through proper adjust-- ment of the nuts |33.

Means which will now be explained are provided for rotating the 'eccentrics |36 through a half revolution whenever desired to either establish or I relieve the pressure between the rollers. For this purpose there is provided a control knob or button |38 carried at the upper end of a push rod |39. This is normally held in elevated position,

` as shown in Fig. 22, by a spring surrounding the rod. At its lower end the rod is adapted to engage a shoulder formed on an extension |00 of a face cam member MI. This member is loosely mounted upon the. hub of gear |25. A projection |42, best shown in Fig. 21, protruding from the side ofthe member is normally adapted to cooperate with a projection |43 carried by one face of a combined clutch and clutch shifting member |44. Now, as the knob |38 is depressed, and the member |4| is rockedclockwise (Fig. 22), the

projection |42 will be carried clear of the projection |43 and the latter will be permitted to enter a recess or notch |45 formed in the end of the sleeve |21. A spring |46 serves to shift the clutch member |44, when permitted, to engage the projections |43 with the notch M6. The member |44 has a splined connection with the shaft |313 and therefore when rotated by the sleeve |21 will serve to drive the shaft |31. However, rotation of the parts will continue only through a half revolution since the projections |33, after slightly less than a half revolution, will engage the face' cam |41 carried by the member |l|| and the projection |43 will thus be forced out of the recess |42. The member |f|| may be restored to its normal position, shown in Fig. 22, following depression of the knob |38, in any suitable way. A spring might be provided for this purpose, although it is considered preferable to simply rely upon the friction between the sleeve |21 and the member I M to restore the latter upon release of the knob |38. Any appropriate means may be provided for positivelyarrestingr the rotation ci the clutch member |46 as it is disengaged from the sleeve |21. For this purpose projections Miti may be provided at diametrically opposite points on one face of the member Idd, preferably in line with the projections |43. These projections |38 may cooperate with a pivoted latch |09 which is adapted to swing upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 24 as one of the projections passes beneath it. It will be understood that the projections |48 are only in the path of the arm it@ when the clutch member is disengaged from the sleeve |21. When .the clutch is engaged the projections |08 will be shifted out of the plane of the arm |49 and hence this arm. will not interfere with the driving of the clutch element. it will be apparent, therefore, that upon each operation of the knob |38, the clutch element idd and the shaft |31 and eccentrics |365 will be rotated through a half revolution. '.iiiis will serve to either apply or relieve the tension on the springs and the pressure between the rollers in the manner explained.

l Provision is also made for disconnecting the :roller drive. For this purpose the clutch element |2| is simply shifted to the left (Fig. 19) to disengage the projections |22 from the gear |253. This is accomplished by theprovision of a segmental portion on the element |23 which entends down into the path of a flange or disc |52 extending radially from the element |2|. in the rotation of the element ||||l from its position shown inrFlg. 22 to its position shown in Fig. 21|., a cam surface |5| on the segmental portion will engage the right side of the disc |32 (Fig. 23)

and serve to shift the latter slightly to the left. .As the entire element Md is'now shifted to the left by the cani action of the-surfaces idl during the continued rotation of the element the clutch |2| will be shifted still further to the left so that it will be completely disconnected from the gear |23. The rotation of the rollers will thus be arrested simultaneously with the release of pressure between them. Upon the subsequent depression of the knob |33, the element Mld will shift to the right (Fig. 23), as previously explained, and will simultaneously permit the element |2| to shift to the right. '.iherefore, the gear |23 will be coupled to the shaft |20 and simultaneously the shaft |3`| 'will be coupled to the sleeve |21. This will restore the driving connection to the rollers and at thev same time pere Any of the Aforms of clothes guides described in connection with the first form of the'invention may be employed in connection with Vthe modified construction.. A suitable guide is shown r'in Figure 25 and-designated generally by the reference character i53. Beneath this guide, which is appropriatelyperforated at Ipoints below the rollers to permit the drainage of water, there is mounted a tiltable drain member iSd. This is pivotally supported byv the 'wringer frame by means of pivot pins |55. A pair of links l5@ may be connected to the tiltable drain at opposite sides of the pivot by hooking around suitable studs |51 carried by the drain. The upper ends of these links may be pivotally connected to a rockable plate l58 which is pivoted to the main frameat H59. A handle |60 extending through the wringer casing and rigidly connected to the rockable plate may serve to swing the latter about its pivot until the handle i60 engages either end of an elongated slot I6I in the cover. A spring l62 may be suitably connected to retain the rockable plate in either position. It will be apparent that the direction of inclination of the tiltable drain 15,4 may be determined at will by operation of the handle |60. In this way the wa'ter drained from the clothes fed between the rolls of the wringer may be directed as desired.

While several illustrative forms of the invention have been disclosed in considerable detail, it will .be understood that one or more of the features of the invention may be embodied in wringer structures involving considerable varia- `bight between said rolls from either side, said means extending substantially horizontally beneathsaid rolls, and means for driving said rolls. 2. A wringer which comprises a pair-of rolls,

- meas'for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls from either side, power means for driving said rolls, and means under common manual controLderiving power from said power means for bringing the rolls together and for separating them.

3. A wringerwhich comprises a pair of rolls, means for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls from either side, power means for driv-l ing said rolls, a single manual means for controlling the driving connection between said power means and said rolls to both start and stop l the latter, and means controlled by said manual means for'bringing the rolls together.

4. A wringer which comprises a pair of rolls, means for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls from eitherside, power means for driving said rolls, manual means for controlling `the driving connection. between said power means and said rolls to start and stop the latter,l `and means including an eccentric and a strap cooperating therewith controlled by=said manual means for yieldingly pressingsa'id rolls together.

5. A wringer which comprises a pair of rolls having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, means extending substantially horizontally beneath said rolls for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls, and means for vibrating said guiding means to feed'the clothes between said rolls.

6. A wringer which ycomprises a pair of rolls having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, means extending substantially hori- 'zohtally beneath said rolls for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls, power means for driving said rolls, and means operated upon driving the rolls for feeding clothes between the rolls.

7. A wringer which comprises a pair of rolls having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, pivoted, yielding means extending beneath the rolls and urged into engagement therewith for guiding clothes to the bight between said rolls, power means for driving said rolls and means including an element rotatable with one of the rolls for feeding clothes between the rolls.

8. A wringer comprising a frame, a plurality of rollers in said frame having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, means extending horizontally beneath said rollers and urged yieldingly toward said rollers for guiding clothes to the bightbetween said rollers from either side, stationary bearings on said frame for supporting one of said rollers, shiftable bearings slidable on saidpframe for supporting the other of said rollers and yielding means for shifting said shiftable bearings to bring the rollers into contact.

9. A wringer comprising a frame, a plurality of rollers in said frame, stationary bearings on said frame for supporting one of said rollers,'

shiftable bearings for supporting the other of said rollers, yielding means for shifting said shiftable bearings to bring the rollers into contact and maintaining a pressure between them, power means for rotating said rollers, 'and connections from said power means for operating said yielding means. y

10. A wringer comprising a pair of rollers, a

power driven shaft, driving connections including a clutch between said shaft and said rollers, said clutch having one element carried vby said shaft and means including a manually controlled second clutch carried by said shaft for operating said first mentioned clutch by power from said shaft, said second clutch being automatically disabled after a half revolution.

11. A wringer comprising a pair of rollers, a power driven shaft, driving connections including a clutch between said shaft and said rollers, means including a manuallyY controlled second clutch for operating said first mentioned clutch by power from said shaft, said clutches each' having an element carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, said second clutch being automatically disabled after a half revolution, and means operated by said last mentioned means for applying a yielding pressure between said rollers.

12. A wringer lcomprising 'a pair of rollers, a power driven shaft, connections including a clutch for driving said rollers by power from said shaft, an eccentric carried by said shaft and adapted to be connected therewith for shifting said clutch, and manually operable means for controlling the operation of said eccentric.

l2. A wringer comprising a pair of rollers, a power driven shaft, connections including a clutch for driving said rollers by power from.

power driven shaft, a pair of clutches, one ofl said clutches being adapted to transmit power 'first mentioned clutch.

15. A wringer comprising a pair of rollers, a power driven shaft, a pair of clutches, one of said clutches being adapted to transmit power from said shaft to drive said rollers and the other of said clutches, and means operated under the control of said other clutch for shifting said rst mentioned clutch, and applying a yielding pressure between the rollers.

16.3 wringer comprising a pair of rollers havingtheir axes insubstantially the same horizontal plane, spring means for yieldingly forcing said rollerstogether, and power means kfor operating said spring means to bring the rollers together and for applying and relieving the tensio'n on said spring means. l

17. A wringer comprising a pair ofl rollers having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, spring means for yieldinglyforcing said rollers together, power means 'for driving said rollers and adapted to apply and relieve the tension on said spring means, and a single manual means for simultaneously controlling the driving of said rollers and the tensioning or relief of tension of said spring means by said power means. n p

18. A wringer comprising a pair of ,rollers having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, spring means'for yieldingly forcing said rollers together, and poweru means for applying and relieving the tensionon said spring means, said power means including an eccentric arranged to act upon said spring means and draw one of the rollers toward the other.

19. A wringer comprising a pair of rollers having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, spring means for yieldingly forcing said rollers together, power means for driving said rollers, and common manually controlled means including an eccentric adapted to be operated by said power means for applying and relieving the tension on said spring means, said manually controlled means alsocontrolling the driving connection between said power means and said rollers.

20. A wringer comprising 'a pair of rollers having their axes in substantially the l,same horizontal plane, spring means foryieldingly forcing said rollers together, and a clothes guide extending substantially horizontally beneath said rollers spring urged into contact therewith.A

21. A wringer comprising a pair of `rollers having their axes in substantially the same hori' zontal plane, spring means'for yieldingly forcing said rollers together, means for rotatingthe rollers, clothes guiding and feeding means beneath said rollers spring urged toward the rollers, and means for vibrating said guiding and feeding means in synchronism with-the rotation of the rollers.

22. 1n a wringer, the combination of a frame; wringer rolls mounted in the frame with an upwardly extending bite; a clothes intake guide directing the clothes into the bite, said guide extending under both rolls and adapted to receive,

clothes from either side; and means for exerting upwardly yielding pressure to the guide.

23. In a wringer, a frame, a pair of pressure rolls mounted in the frame, meansicarried by the frame to grip and guide material fed to the wringer from either of two substantially opposite directions relative to the frame into the a i t bite of the pressure rolls, means `to `rotate said pressure rolls wherein said pressure `rolls coact to squeeze the material fed to the guiding means from either of said feeding directions, without reversing the direction of rotation of said pressure rolls.

24. In a wringer, a frame, a pair o-f pressure rolls mounted in the frame in a substantially horizontal plane, means to rotate the rolls, means carried by the frame and arranged to grip materials fed from either of two opposite vertical faces of the frame and guide such materials into the bite of the pressure rolls, said pressure rolls being adapted to coact to squeeze the materials fed from either face of the wringer without reversing the direction of rotation of said pressure rolls.

25. The combination of a roll wringing mechanism for a washing machine, means for driving the rolls of said mechanism, a clutch in the driving mechanism, power means for operating the clutch to control the movement of the wringer rolls, and a manuallyi, operated member for controlling the power operated clutch control means, said member being readily accessible to the operator when the latter is operating the wringer, and being responsive to a comparatively slight pressure by the operator.

clutch to control the movement of the wringer rolls, and a manually operated member for controlling the power operated means, said member being readily accessible to the operator when the latter is operating the wringer, land said member being responsive to a relatively smali pressure by the operator.

27. The combination of a roll wringing mech anism for a'washing machine, said mechanism including a .gear housing havinga vertical axis and adapted to be mounted on the washing machine, means including a shaft alined with said vertical axis for driving the wringer rolls, a clutch in the driving means, power means for operating the clutch to control the movement of the wringer rolls, and a manually operated member mounted on the wringer mechanism for controlling the power operated means, saidv member being so mounted on the wringer mechanism as to be readily accessible to the operator when the latter is operating the vwringer, and said member being responsive to a relatively small pressure by the operator.

28. The vommbination of a roll wringing mechanism for a washing machine, a support and driving means for the wringing mechanism mounted as a unitary structure with the wringoperating the clutch to control the movement of the wringer rolls, and a manually operated member for controlling the power operated means, said member being readily accessible to' the operator when the latter is in wringer operating position, and responsive to a relatively slight DYGSSUIS by the operator.

29. 1n a wringer having cooperating rollers,I a driving member, a driven member connected to at least one ofthe rollers to rotate the same, 'a clutch between said members to connect and disconnect the saine, power receiving means for disconnectA said members whenever the pressurebetween said rollers is released.

30. In a wringer having cooperating rollers, a drivingfmember, connections including a clutch between said driving member and rollers for rotating the latter, means adapted to be operated by said driving member for disengaging said clutch, means for creating pressure between said rollers, means operable at will fior controlling the release of pressure betweenvsaid rollers, and means actuated by said last mentioned means for causing the operation of said clutch disengaging means by said driving member as the pressure between said rollers is released.

31. In av wringer having cooperating rollers, an operating shaft, connections including a clutch between said shaft and rollers for driving the latter, a half-revolution clutch, means adapted to be driven by said shaft through said half revolution clutch for disengaging lsaid rst mentioned clutch, means for creating'pressure between said rollers, means operable at will for controlling the release of pressure between said THOMAS w. BEHAN. 2o 

